Tetsuma Esaki, the newly-appointed minister in charge of Okinawa economic promotion and territorial issues, is known as a cheerful, friendly politician. But the usual genial demeanor of the Lower House member elected from Aichi Prefecture took a more somber turn during a joint interview with ...

Japan's companies cut bonus payments in July, leading to a surprise drop in total pay for workers. While this was the first fall in 14 months, previous gains have been weak and well below the level needed to generate stronger inflation. Total cash earnings per ...

As Kim Jong Un's nuclear efforts in North Korea capture global attention, China is quietly moving to bolster its grip on disputed territory in the South China Sea. Last month, a Philippine lawmaker released photos that he said showed Chinese fishing, coast guard and navy ...

Naoki Go carefully positions his feet on the ground, slowly lifts both arms, then shuffles as if preparing to shoulder a huge imaginary weight. In the next instant, he flexes his biceps. The muscles on each arm rise like loaves in an oven. The veins ...

U.S. cooperation may be needed to evacuate Japanese nationals from South Korea in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula, Foreign Minister Taro Kono has said. In principle, Japanese nationals should leave by commercial aircraft or by other means, but U.S. help will ...

The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling supporting a Foreign Ministry order requiring a Japanese freelance photographer to surrender his passport because he would likely find himself in danger if he traveled to war-torn Syria for work. In the lawsuit, Yuichi ...

This summer, Japanese real estate investment trusts benefited from an unexpected group of net buyers for the first time in nearly seven years: Mom and pop investors. Encouraged by the relatively lucrative returns, an increasing number of retail investors are putting their money in some ...

The nation's first privately developed condominium project that helped usher in a postwar apartment boom is to undergo demolition and redevelopment, drawing the curtain on its six-decade history. Yotsuya Co-operative House, a five-story, 28-apartment condominium located in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, was completed in 1956 and ...

Western Digital Corp. is asking Apple Inc. to join its bid for Toshiba Corp.’s chip unit in apparent effort to raise more cash for the purchase, sources say.

In their talks at a forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok, the leaders are expected to sign off on joint projects in areas such as aquaculture, farming and tourism.

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday blamed "terrorists" for "a huge iceberg of misinformation" on the violence in Rakhine state but made no mention of the nearly 125,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled over the border to Bangladesh since Aug. 25. The leader of ...

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said Wednesday that Japan now estimates a bomb North Korea tested Sunday had a yield of about 160 kilotons, based on a definitive analysis of the magnitude of the seismic activity observed during the detonation. The Japanese government had initially put ...

Seiji Maehara, the new president of the Democratic Party, has suffered a setback in arguably his most important first task as head of the largest opposition force: Choosing his secretary-general — the second in command within the party leadership. On Tuesday, Maehara announced he will ...

Prince Hisahito, Emperor Akihito's grandson who is third in line to the Imperial throne, turned 11 on Wednesday. His birthday came days after the announcement that his elder sister, Princess Mako, will marry her longtime boyfriend, Kei Komuro. The prince has already met Komuro, 25, ...

Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and his Indian counterpart, Arun Jaitley, confirmed Tuesday the necessity of increasing pressure on North Korea in cooperation with the international community, amid Pyongyang's advancing nuclear arms and missile development. The Indian defense chief's visit to Japan followed North Korea's sixth ...

A deadly tick got away Monday after being brought to a news conference held by the Miyazaki Prefectural Government to warn of a tick-borne disease, prompting the governor to apologize the next day. Prefectural government officials conducted a search for the arachnid with the help ...

The Japanese and German leaders agreed Tuesday to work together to seek a new and tougher U.N. sanction resolution against North Korea following its powerful nuclear test over the weekend, a Japanese government official said. North Korea's sixth nuclear test Sunday poses a threat "not ...

President Xi Jinping is still struggling to assert full civil control over China's politically ascendant military.

U.S. President Barack Obama promised comprehensive immigration reform, including protection for the dreamers, in his 2008 campaign, but he never delivered.

People on both sides of the Pacific must take a stand as a 20th-century scourge again infects political discourse.

Americans in Tokyo were asked if their vice president might soon be forced to step up and take the helm, as Gerald Ford did in 1974 when Richard Nixon resigned.

Murder mysteries are popular film and television fodder in Japan, but most revolve around puzzle plots that hold as much real-world probability as the cases of Sherlock Holmes. Hirokazu Koreeda's "The Third Murder" also presents a puzzle, but it's in the form of twice-convicted killer ...

Almost everyone who comes to Tokyo via Narita International Airport notices the lush green fields surrounding the runways and terminal buildings. It's a nice sight after sitting on an airplane for so long. Some new arrivals get confused, however. "This can't be Tokyo," I once ...

At the 2010 Academy Awards, a film titled "The Cove" won the Oscar for best documentary. It was a proud moment for producers Fisher Stevens and Paula DuPre Pesmen, director Louie Psihoyos and activist Ric O'Barry, all of whom got on stage to accept ...

Tsubasa Aizawa's 11th-inning RBI single lifted the Hiroshima Carp to a 4-3 win over the second-place Hanshin Tigers on Wednesday, leaving the Carp with a magic number of 10 to clinch their second straight pennant. Aizawa, who entered the game as a defensive substitute, came ...

Japan will play New Zealand in one of two October friendlies as the Blue Samurai build toward next year's World Cup finals in Russia, the Japan Football Association said Wednesday. Vahid Halilhodzic's men will play New Zealand in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, on Oct. 6, before ...

Sometimes, the sport you are playing might not be the right fit for you, and you might have the potential to excel in something else. So why not switch sports? The Japan Sports Agency and Japan Sports Association have launched a new initiative called the Japan ...

Fourteen-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto improved his world ranking from 20th to his career-best 13th as the International Table Tennis Federation released the latest list Tuesday. Harimoto, who became the youngest men's singles winner on the World Tour at the Czech Open in August, closed the gap ...

Russia-bound Japan was condemned to a 1-0 defeat away to Saudi Arabia in its final World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night, a result that saw the Gulf state pip Australia for an automatic place at next year's finals. Substitute Fahad Al Muwallad struck the clincher ...